Leaf separator



4 vSheets-Sheet Feb. 18, 1947. J, F, HALsTEAD LEAF SEPARATOR Filed July 14, 1942 Feb. 18 1947.. J, HALS-[EAD LEAF SEPAATOR Filed July 14, 1942 4 Sheets- Sheet 2 lNvENToR JOHN F. HLSTEAD BY a 4 i ATTORNEY Feb. 18, 1947. J, F, HALSTEAD 2,416,173

- I LEAF sEPARAToR Filed July 14, 1942 4 Sheeis-Sheet 3 FIG. 4

J f-IN F. HALSTEAD. B Y

ATTORNEY J. F. HALSTEAD Feb. 18, 1947.

LEAF sEPARAToR Filed July 14, 1942 4 sheets-sheet 4 l nlNvEN-roR JOHN E gAz-rco,

ATTORNEY Petented Feb. 1s, A194'/ y g,

LEAF SEPARATQR John F. Halstead, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to o International Cigar Machinery Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application July 14, 194.2.,y Serial No. 450,833

8 Claims.

. 1 This invention relates to cigar machines, more particularly to the separation and removal ef individual tobacco leaf sections from a book of stemmed leaf tobacco, in order to speed up the operation of laying the leaf sections on the cut` ting bed for severance of a wrapper. ,Heretofore a major portion of the time required for laying a leaf section on the cutting bed was spent in peeling the leaf section off the book, as frequently a number of the leaf sections would be stuck together and would need to be manually separated. Therefore the main object of the invention is to separate a portion ofthe individual leaf sections from the book, so that the remainder thereof may be manually separated from the book and the whole leaf section is then manually laid upon the cutting bed for severance of the wrapper. To this end there is provided apparatus for raising a portion of the top leaf from the book wherefore the attendant may insert her hands under the raised portion of this leaf and pass them between the remainder of said leaf and the book to .complete the separation of the same, preparatory to grasping theforward edge of the ends thereof and thus transferring the leaf section to the cutting bed. With this and other objects not specifically mentioned in View, the invention consists in certain constructions and combinations which will be hereinafter described and then set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and in which like charthe operator transfers the wrapper leaf from the leaf separator to the Wrapper die of the machine; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. `2, illustrating how the central portion of the top leaf is raised from the book; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of a cigar machine equipped with the improved separator device.

Referring to the drawings, the table I of the cigar machine is provided with a bracket II on which is pivoted an arm I2 whose outer end carries one end of a link I3 connected to an arm I4 secured on a shaft I5. Shaft I5 is supported in hubs I6 .of a bracket Il carried -bytable I0, and

shaft I5 also carries a hollow arm I8 provided with a hub 3I secured on said shaft and terminate ing in a head I9.

The arm I8 receives intermittent oscillating motion from a cam 20 having an auxiliary camV piece 2| which may be integral with or attached in any suitable manner to the periphery of said cam. The cam piece 2I is adapted to engage a cam roller 22 provided on a cam lever 23 which is fulcrumed on a shaft 24 of the cigar machine. The outer end of cam lever 23 Supports one end of a link 25 connected to arm I2, and While the cam roller 22 rides on the cam piece 2I the arm I8 and head I9 are maintained in the raisedv position during the major portion of the cycle of operations. Cam 2U is fastened on shaft 69 (Fig. 5)

A tension Ispring 26 is anchored to a spring post 21 carried by link 25, the other end of spring 26 being anchored toa stationary part of the Inal-r chine (not shown), to return the arm` I8 to its down position and .thereby press the head I9 against the to-p leaf section in the book P. It should be noted that the periphery of cam 20 intermediate the ends of the cam piece 2| does not support the cam roller 2|', wherefore the spring 26 will depress the head I9 suilciently to assure engagement thereof with the book P, as the height of the latter diminishes with the removal ofsuccessve leaf sections, and even when a single leaf section is left from the"book.

The bracket I1, which is fastened to table II),l carries a hollow block 28 having an angular pro# jection 29 which at its upper portion is provided with a semi-circular shaped face 3.0 engaging the hub 3I of arm I8. The hub 3| is of a hollow cylindrical shape and has ends provided with holes through which shaft I5 passes. A port 35 is formed in the bottom of hub 3| and communie cates with the inclined bore 34 in the angular portion 29 throughout all positions to which the hub is turned. A pipe 32, which may be connected `to the source of suction (not shown) of the wrapper cutting bed, is fitted into a bore 33 of block `28 which communicates with the inclined bore 34 inthe projection 29 which registers with the port 35 provided in hub 3l. In this manner Isuiiicient suction is maintained continuously within the head I9 to produce adhesionof the leaf section to the bottom 36 0f the head I9,

' which is provided with holes 3l, and thereby pick up one leaf L at a time from the pile of leaves P placed on table I Il.

Preferably the width of the ybottom 36 is `less than thebreadthl of the leaf sections, so that the 3 pile VP need not be placed to coincide with the depressed position of said bottom. The bottom 36 may be provided with spaced projecting teats 38 arranged in a manner to form an outer and inner circle at each end thereof, as shown in Fig. 1,

the suction ports 31 being formed in said teats.

The teats 38 are provided to assure adequate con:

tact with the top leaf section of the pile which might otherwise be prevented by thick stems in said'leaf section. Moreover the tension of the spring 26 is sufficient to press the bottom 36 upon the pile P with enough pressure to assure the proper vcontact thereon of the .teats38 despite the curling or wrinkling of the Vleaf sections in pile P.

The wrapper cutting bed D is mounted on the table I in front of the head I9, and comprises a hollow suction head 39 slidably mounted within the wrapper die.40 of bed D, the die Yhaving a predetermined contour to suit the shape of the cigar bunch which is to be wrapped. The inte-` rior of the head 39, and the shell surrounding the die, are'connected to a source of suction in a well known manner, whereby the perforations 4| in head 39 and the perforations 42 in the shell surrounding the diehold the leaf tobacco in position whilethe cutting rollers 45 and 46 traverse the wrapper die and cut a wrapper from the leaf tobacco corresponding to the shape of the die. The cutting rolls 45 and 46 may be supported, as shown in Fig. 5, in the usual manner in the bifurcated end 41 of an arm 49 projecting forwardly from a support 5| slidably mounted on the slidebar 53 mounted on bracketsr55 which are suitably fastened to the table I0. The support 5| is connected by a link 51 to a cam lever 59 mounted on a shaft 8|. On cam lever 59 is mounted a cam roller 63 which engages a cam track 65 in a barrel cam 61 fastened on the shaft 69.

Referring to Fig. 2, the operator of the machine places a book or pile of leaves P on table I0 in a position under the head I9, as shown. While the wrapper cutting rolls are traversing the cuttingbed D, the Acam piece Y2| engages roller 22 and the arm I8 is caused to ascend to its dotted position I8 shown in Fig. 2. Thus the central portion of the top leaf section L is lifted from the pile P and the end portions ofthe leaf droop downwardly into contact with the pile P, as indicated in dotted lines in-Fig. 4. While the cen-` tral portion ofthe leaf section is thus raised, the operator passesher handsA under the drooping end portions of the leafsection to separate the same from thepile P and grasps the hanging forwardedge LA of the leaf sections, as shown in Fig, 3, and slides it from the suction headIS in the direction indicated by the arrows and places Dofthe machine. v

After the wrapper has been cut from the leaf tobacco, the cutting rolls return to their initial position shown in Fig. 5, and the suction head is then elevated to deliver the cut wrapper to the means for transferring the wrapper to wrapperapplying mechanism. Any suitable form of wrapper transferring device may be used, such as the leaf section L upon the wrapper cutting .bed

that shown in Fig. 5, which is identical in con-v structionV with the. wrapper delivering means shOWn in the patent to R. E. Rundell, No. 1,539,274.

Referring to Fig. 5 of the drawings, the hollow iiying'wrapper carrier |03 isV of the usual con` struction, having a hollow stem pivotally mounted in the free end of carrier supported means, and provided at its upper end Withan arm |05 by means of which it is rocked in a boss |06 formed Y -cap II3, and the interior of the pipe is in open 4 on the free end of the carrier supporting means. The carrier supporting means consists of two hollow interconnected sections |01 and |08 which are articulated at |09 approximately at the center of said means. The end of the carrier supporting means opposite the boss |06 is secured to the upper end of a vertical pipe (not shown) mounted in a standard III rising from the table |0 of the machine. is connected by a tube, not shown, with suitable suction producing means of a well known character. The upper end of the pipe is closed by a communication with the interior of the section |08 of the carrier'supporting means. tion |08 is secured to the upper end of the pipe by means of a clamping bolt II4. The pipe not only serves as a part of the suction apparatus for' Va cam drum 23 which is mounted on the shaft 69. The mechanism just described oscillates the section V8 about the anchorage for the flying wrapper carrier.

Means are pro-vided for controlling the relative movement of the sections |01 and |08, which controls the movement of the axis of the flying wrapper carrier and, as shown, this means has a direct connection with the movement controlling device for the carrier. With this end in View, the section |01 of the carrier supporting means is provided with a horn |24, upon the free end of which is a cam bowl |26 tracking in a cam slot |21 formed in a cam plate |28. AsV the section |08 is swung about the anchorage, the engagement of the cam bowl |28 with the cam slot |21 alters the relative positions of the sections |01 and |08 and controls the path of movement of the axis of the flying wrapper carrier.

The flying wrapper carrier is also given a rocking movement on its axis. This isaccomplished in the following manner: The arm |05 before referred to is pivoted to one end of a connecting rod |30, the other end of Vsaid rod'being pivoted to a bell-crank |3I. at |32 to a horn |33 projecting from the section |08 beyond its pointof articulation with the section |91. The bell-crank |3| carries a cam bOWlV |34 tracking in a cam groove |35 formed in the cam plate |28 before referred to. By means of the mechanism just described, as the section |08 is moved about the anchorage, the engagement of the cam bowl |34 with the cam slot |35 changesv dotted lines in the two extreme positions of the*` iiyingwrapper carrier;Y that is, a pcsition over the wrapper cutting die at the forward end of The lower end of the pipe The sec-V This bell-crank is fulcrumedV th'emoveineht of the wrapper carrier, and at a position over the paste applying mechanism L31'. -'As often happens, the leaf section L is large enough to permit two or more wrapper sections to be' cut therefrom. When this occurs the operator -re-positions the leaf on the die so that another wrapper will be cut from it by the cutting rolls. In i the meantime the head i9 has previously ascended with the next leaf. If the operator is still using the previously cut leaf section, the head I9 will descend and return the adhering leaf section totheV pile, since suction is maintained continuously within the head. The leaf section so returned to the pile will again be lifted, and if at this time a new leaf section is needed, the operator will grasp the same and remove it from head I9. I

While the invention has been illustrated in conjunction with wrapper cutting and applying mechanism, it will be understood that it may be applied to separation of binder leaf tobacco from a book for manual transfer to the binder cutting die. In this case it is desirable to enlarge the holes 3l in head I9 to assure adhesion of the heavier binder tobacco to the head.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a perforated suction head, of automatic mechanism for moving said head to engage the perforated portion thereof with the top leaf of a pile of leaf tobacco with sufficient pressure to cause adhesion of said top leaf to said perforated portion, said perforated portion constituting the bottom of said head and being provided with teats in which said perforations are formed, and said mechanism including means for yieldingly pressing said head into engagement with the top of a pile of leaf tobacco whereby the bottom of the hea-d will be engaged with the top of said pile irrespective of variations in the height of the pile due to depletion thereof, said head being provided with a hollow extension, a hollow hub formed on said extension, a shaft to which said hub is secured, said mechanism being connected to said shaft for moving said head into engagement with the top of said pile and then elevating the head with an adhering leaf, said hub being provided with a suction port, a suction conduit having an arcuate face engaging said hub, the breadth of said Vconduit being sufficient to permit said hub to be turned without interrupting the communication between said port and said conduit wherebt7 suction will be maintained continuously in said head.

2. In a cigar machine havingr a wrapper cutting die, cutting rolls adapted to coact with said die to cut a wrapper from leaf tobacco spread thereon and mechanism for periodically moving said rolls from an initial ineffective p-osition to and fro over the die to cut a wrapper from leaf tobacco on the die; the combination with means driven from said machine in properly timed relationship thereto for separating an individual leaf section from a pile of leaf tobacco while said rolls are traversing said die, whereby the leaf section may be manually removed from said means and positioned upon the die when the cutting rolls are returned to said initial position, for severance of a wrapper from the leaf section so positioned on the die in the next traverse of the rolls over the die, and mechanism for transferring the severed wrapper from said die after said rollers have returned to their initial position, said means including a suction head having a perforated portion adapted to engage the top leaf section in the pile of leaf tobacco, a device for lowering said head to engage' the perforatedportion thereof with the top' of said piley and cause adhesion thereto of the top leaf section in the pile and then raising said head with the adhering leaf section while the cutting rolls are traversing the die, and means for continuously applying suction to said head 4to produce suctional adhesion of the next leaf section in said pile thereto following the manual removal of the preceding leaf section from said head which will continuel until the said next leaf section is manually removed from said head whereby thel cut leaf section maybe manually repositioned on said die for cutting of an additional wrapper therefrom while the said next leaf section continues adhering to said head.

3. In a cigar machine `having a, cutting bed whereon leaf tobacco may be positioned for severance of a section therefrom by the passage of cutting rolls thereover inreach cycle of the machine, the combination with a hollow member supporting a hollow head portion disposed .in front of said die and adapted to engage the midsection of the top leaf section in a pile of leaf tobacco disposed in vfront of said die, the leaf tobacco in said pile extending lengthwise of said die, of means for continuously applying suction to said hollow member to create suction in said head portion, and means for automatically lowering said head portion to engage the same with the top leaf section in said pile in each cycle oi the machine to cause suctional adhesion of the mid-section of said top leaf to said head' portion, and 'then raising said head portion in the same cycle with the adhering midportion of said top leaf section sufficiently to permit the attendants hands to be passed under the end portions of the top leaf section for separation thereof from the pile, whereby the ends of the adhering leaf section may be manually grasped and said leaf section thereby drawn off the suction head and laid upon the die in the next cycle, and the next leaf section removed from said pile will continue adhering to said head portion until removed manually.

4. The combination with a perforated suction head, of automatic mechanism for moving said head to engage the perforated portion thereof with the top leaf of a pile of leaf tobacco with sufficient pressure to cause adhesion of said top leaf to said perforated portion, said perforated portion constituting the bottom of said head and beingy provided with rigid teats in which said perforations are formed, said teats projecting downwardly from the bottom of said head a sufficient distance to engage the web of the top leaf section v despite the presence of thick stems in said leaf section, and said mechanism including means for pressing said head into engagement with the top of a pile of leaf tobacco with suilicient pressure to assure proper contact of the head therewith despite curling or Wrinkling of the leaf sections in the pile.

5. The combination with a perforated suction head, of automatic mechanism for moving said head to engage the perforated portion thereof with the top leaf of a pile of leaf tobacco with sufficient pressure to cause adhesion of said top leaf to said perforated portion, said perforated portion constituting the bottom of said head and being provided with rigid teats in which said perforations are formed, and said mechanism including means for yieldingly pressing said head into engagement with the top of a pile of leaf tobacco with suflicient pressure to assure proper contact of the head therewith despite curling or wrinkthe top leaf section despite the presence of thick j stems in the leaf section.

6. In a cigar machine having a wrapper cutting die, cutting rolls adapted to coact with said die toV cut a wrapper from leaf tobacco spread thereon and mechanism for periodically moving said rolls from an initial ineiectiveposition to and fro over the die to cut a wrapper from leaf i 1 tobacco on the die; the combination with means driven from said machine in properly timed reltionship thereto for separating an individual leaf section from a pile of leaf tobacco while said rolls are traversing -said die,whereby the leaf section Vj may be manuallyremoved from said means and positioned upon the die when the cutting rolls are returned to said initial position, for severance of Va wrapper from the leaf section so positioned on the'die in the next traverse of the rolls over the g die, and mechanism for transferring the severed wrapper from said die after said rollers have rel turned to their initial position, said means in- 1 cluding a suction head adapted to engage the top leaf section in the-pile of'leaf tobacco, a ldevice for lowering said head to engage with the top of said pileY and cause adhesion thereto of the top leaf section in the pile and Vthen raising said head Y with the adhering leaf section while the cutting rolls are traversing the die, and means for continuously applying suction to said head to prop duce suctional adhesion of the next leaf section l in said pile thereto following the manual removal 1 of the preceding leaf section from said head which will continue until the said next leaf section is manually removed from said head whereby the g cut leaf section may be manually repositioned on said die for cutting of an additionally wrapper 7. The combination with a suction head adaptsaid head for creating suction therein, and means for lowering said head to engage it with the top 1 leaf section in said pile to cause' suctional adhesion of a portion of said top leaf, and then raising said head with the adhering portion of said 1 therefrom while' the said next leaf section conl tinues adhering to said head;

top leaf section sumciently to permit the attendants hands to be passed under said adhering portion for separation of the remainder thereof from the pile, whereby the leaf section will vcontinue adhering to said head until manually grasped and drawn off the suction head and laid upon said bed,

and a device connecting said suction conduit with the interior of said head to maintain suction con'- stantly in the head ,while it is moved to and fro from its lower position to its upper position and back to its lower position.

8. In-a cigar machine having a cutting die, cutting rolls adapted to coact with the die to cut a wrapper from leaf tobacco spread thereon, mechanism for lperiodically moving said rolls from an initial ineffective position tov and fro overA the` die to cut a wrapper from leaf tob-acco spread Yon the die, and mechanism for transferring the cut wrapper from said die after the cutting rolls have re-A turned to their initial position; the combination with a suction head engaging the top leaf l'in a pile of leaf tobacco disposedin front of said die, to cause suctional adhesion of said top leaf to said head, and means driven from the cigar Inachine and operated during each traverse of said rolls over said die to raise said head with'the adhering leaf while said rolls are traversing said die whereby the adhering leaf may be manually removed from said head to be positioned on said die after the cutting rolls have returned to initial position, and instrumentalities for applying suction to said head.

JOHN F. HALSTEAD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Brown Dec. 31, 1889 

